Classical Education Leads To Good Jobs Because It Instills Good Judgment—But That’s Not All

Andrew Kern of the CIRCE Institute resurfaces one of our favorite themes: How classical education prepares a child not merely for a job, but for a life that of course includes the ability to earn one’s bread.

Our education controllers develop extremely complex theories about children as material objects whose role is to contribute to the economy, preparing them for careers and college, that latter of which is for careers. But in so doing, they leave vast realms of the child’s human nature and personhood uncultivated.

The consequence is that they never learn how to make educated decisions, they do not become well-rounded people. Then they get jobs. And any job worth having requires you to make hard decisions (apart from the entertainment and education realms, earnings are tied to the responsibility a person can carry – ie his ability to make wise decisions in touch situations). So they drag down the economy.

They have been taught to think too little of themselves, not to mention to think too little for themselves.

So they treat themselves like what they have been treated like for all those years. Insects. Rabbits. Entirely physical beings, driven to satisfy the bodily appetites without the foggiest idea how to satisfy a higher hunger.

No one is against the desire to prepare children for the workforce. But classical educators believe that is a low bar to clear. We want to partner with parents and the Holy Spirit for deeper, more transcendent and important work: Cultivating a child in virtue. A virtuous child, who respects and has developed and applied the work ethic necessary to learn good and beautiful things, will be highly attractive to employers, who hunger for employees who exist for more than to feed their appetites. But such a child will also fulfill his or her life’s calling in learning to love God and enjoy him forever.

2 thoughts on “Classical Education Leads To Good Jobs Because It Instills Good Judgment—But That’s Not All”

This really strikes home with me. I am a workforce developer and I constantly hear about classical education being of less value than job-based skill training and career pathways and the like. Seldom do I hear the value of classical education processes — literature, art, spirituality, philosophy, and etc. Thanks!